Harry Potter and the Guardian of Magic
by BleakFate
Summary: The summer starts out as normal, but very soon things will get interesting for Mr. Potter! Who is the Guardian of Magic? Read and see! This story takes place after Order of the Phoenix
1. The Promise

Harry Potter and the Guardian of Magic

---------------

This is purely fan-fiction, and I, in NO way, take credit for the character or places, except those that are my own, but I DO take credit for the ideas, because I've spent my personal time writing these and then typing these, so no flames or anything, or you won't get anymore (well..except for those people who want more, I'll type it for them, but the others can go and just drive off a steep cliff that have jagged rocks at the bottom!)

--------------------

This story takes place after Order of the Phoenix

-------------------

Chapter One: The Promise

-------------------------

            Rain pounded on top of the two-story house on number 4 Privet Drive as most of its inhabitants milled around downstairs, eating lunch and wondering about the weird weather phenomenon, when a loud crash broke the tense silence.

            "Boy! I told you before, if you…" Vernon stopped in mid-sentence, looking around for his nephew, blinking when he didn't see him.

            "Vernon, dear, he's upstairs. Dudley dropped the plate." Petunia said as she craned her neck back to the window to spy on the neighbors again.

            Vernon shook his head and barked at Dudley to pick up the pieces of the plate, turning back to his lunch, shoving his bewilderment about his nephew into the back of his mind.

            Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, the child prodigy, sat on his bed and watched it rain.

            He'd been out of school for about two weeks, yet it felt like it was longer. This summer was just going by slow. It had been storming on and off, mostly on, so it made enjoying the outdoors rather hard, and it'd severed his only means of communication to his friends for the last two days.

            Ron had told him at the end of last year that they would come and get him as soon as possible, and Harry had been packed since the first day back, ready to be out of this place as soon as possible.

            Harry sighed and looked at his clock: 1:23. It seemed like he had check it hours ago, rather than eleven minutes ago.

            Shaking his head, Harry lay his head down on his pillow and tried to forget about Sirius death, and about the rise of Voldemort, and all the horrible things that had happened at school. But he couldn't. It was etched into his mind. There was no escaping it.

            All the images and memories that had happened at school last year, and all the horrible things, he tried to forget. But he couldn't. It was etched into his mind. There was no escaping it.

            Harry fell into a fitful sleep as he unconsciously began to replay the events in his mind, twisting and turning, knocking his glasses off and to the floor as thunder shook the house.

====================

            Harry stood in a stone corridor, a door barley visible on the other end, wondering where he was, and why he was here.

            Suddenly, barely visible in the darkness, he saw the door open and a familiar shape slide in, silhouetted, one he never thought he would see again. Sirius!

            Harry began to rush headlong down the hallway, almost stumbling every step in his excitement, but he didn't care. Sirius! Sirius was somehow alive!

            Harry wrapped his fingers around the doors' handle and was shocked when he felt a frosty hand clutch at his heart, his breathing almost stopping.

            After a few moments of waiting, Harry dropped his hand from the handle and gasped for breath, wiping at the sweat that had broken out on his forehead.

            He stood up after catching his breath and grabbed a hold of the door handle, preparing for the icy sensation again, but nothing happened.

            Opening the door, Harry poked his head inside, casting his gaze around, looking for Sirius. He knew he saw him. Positive.

            Harry stepped inside, jerking his wand out of his pocket when the door slammed behind him, muttering the spell that ignited the end of his wand in a soft nimbus of light that extended in a gradually broadening line ahead of him.

            It was the curtain room. He couldn't see the curtain, but he recognized the steps leading downward, remembered the battle that took place, remembered Sirius… falling.. into the curtain..

            Harry stumbled brokenly to the railing, looking down into the darkness. He could have sworn.. he saw him.. he knew it was him..

            Gritting his teeth and leveling his wand in front of him, he marched to the steps and started to walk down them, the light coming from the end of his wand never wavering.

            He reached the book and looked ahead. At the curtain.

            Keeping his wand level, Harry approached the curtain, hearing the voices coming from behind it, blocking the words out as he reached for the curtain…

            He could feel his fingers almost brush the curtain as the voices, no longer blocked, seemed to invade his mind and shake his body..

============

            "Harry! Harry!" a female voice called to him, "Harry! Please, wake up!"

            Harry groggily sat up, staring at the blurry face in front of him, "Who…?" he asked as his glasses were slid onto his face.

            "Hey, mate, told you that we'd come and get you!" said a familiar voice to his left.

            "Ron! Hermione!" Harry whispered, looking around, seeing Fred, too.

            "Hurry up, Harry, and get your things. We've gotta get going before the storm stirs back up." Fred said, beginning to gather Harry's books.

            Harry quickly packed up his things and began to drag them to the door before he stopped and looked at Fred, "Wait..how'd you guys get here?"

            Fred grinned and tilted his head towards the window, where Harry was surprised to see a black Ford Mustang, floating silently in front of his open window.

            "But..where'd you get that? Those are pretty expensive.." Harry began.

            "My and Georges business is doing very well, especially after our little show last term." Fred said with a smirk.

            Harry grinned at them and, with some help, loaded all of his things into the cars' magically enhanced trunk.

            "Do you think it's safe to let Hedwig out for a while? She's been cooped up for two days now.." Harry began.

            "Sure mate, just make sure to let her back in when if it starts to rain again." Ron said, sliding into the front seat as Fred turned the car's side to the window.

            Harry slid into the back seat beside Hermione after letter Hedwig out, watching her soar happily into the air before the door was pulled shut.

            "Your aunt and uncle will be getting a letter tomorrow from Dumbledore telling them that you're with us and to not worry." Fred said as he pulled up into the air.

            "Not like they'd really care anyways, but thanks." said Harry, looking around the inside of the car.

            "Just in case you're wondering, we had Dad put a little spell on it to make it fly and," Fred flicked a red switch under the steering wheel, "to become invisible."

            As the car disappeared into the air, Fred threw it into sixth gear and took off towards the Burrow.


	2. Accidental Feelings

Harry Potter and the Guardian of Magic

---------------

This is purely fan-fiction, and I, in NO way, take credit for the character or places, except those that are my own, but I DO take credit for the ideas, because I've spent my personal time writing these and then typing these, so no flames or anything, or you won't get anymore (well..except for those people who want more, I'll type it for them, but the others can go and just drive off a steep cliff that have jagged rocks at the bottom!)

--------------------

This story takes place after Order of the Phoenix

-------------------

Chapter 2: Accidental Feelings

            As they sped along invisibly through the air over Surrey, Harry first watched Hedwig glide along behind them before dropping out of sight for food, then he started to look at Hermione.

            She looked beautiful. She hadn't changed since the end of term, but Harry had been too preoccupied to notice, and although he still missed Sirius, he couldn't ignore her any longer.

            As Harry began to say something to her, Ron turned around and asked Harry how he'd been doing since the accident.

            "Well," started Harry, "I've been doing fine, as fine as to be expected anyways.. it just seems.. different, without him here, you know.."

            Hermione reached over and lay her hand comfortingly over his, making him almost jump before he relaxed back into the seat.

            "Do the Dursley's know?" asked Hermione softly, looking into Harry's eyes.

            "I haven't said anything to them, but I guess Dumbledore might have.. they don't seem to be any different, but they're always like that. I don't think they care about anything that happens outside their own little world.." Harry said, a slight trace of sarcasm, along with a hint of bitterness, in his voice.

            Hermione's hand tightened over his own, clasping hers around his, making the blood in his cheeks burn slightly, luckily able to hide it in the dark.

            They rode on in silence for another thirty minutes until Fred's voice broke through, telling them that they were a few minutes away from the Burrow.

            After landing in the front yard and unloading the back of the trunk, Hedwig swooped down to land on Harry's shoulder, clearly happy to have been out and gotten some fresh meat.

            "Harry!" a familiar voice cried from the doorway.

            Turning to look, Harry saw Mrs. Weasely, along with Ginny and Mr. Weasely, standing at the door with smiles on their faces.

            Harry smiled back at them and waved before helping Ron get his trunk out of the trunk of the car and carry it to the door.

            "Harry, dear, how have you been?" asked Mrs. Weasely, patting him on the shoulder and shooing them inside the house, reminding them to wipe their feet on the rug before going into the kitchen.

            After a few minutes of stowing Harry's stuff in Percy's old room, they were all back in the kitchen as Mrs. Weasely cooked them an early breakfast, telling Harry about all the newest news from the wizarding realm.

            "Dumbledore issued a warning to everyone, that if anyone tried to harm you, he or she would be severely punished. He contacted us late yesterday and said that anytime we were ready, we could come and get you."

            Harry grinned and imagined the Dursley's surprise, and happiness, after getting Dumbledore's letter today, and imagined his own happiness at being here, away from them.

===============

            "Well," said Fred after finishing off his breakfast, "I guess I'm going to go get back to the shop, since we're due to open in about an hour."

            "Okay, dear, be careful. And don't forget that you and your brother promised to stop by tonight for dinner!" said Mrs. Weasely as Fred got to the door.

            "Okay mum, we won't!"

            "I'll be going, too, Molly dear." said Mr. Weasely, standing up from his chair and kissing his wife.

            "Okay, Arthur. Have a good day at work." she said, kissing him back.

            Harry watched and, in a pop, Mr. Weasely had disapperated from the kitchen, leaving the five of them alone.

            "Harry, you can go on up to bed if you want.." said Mrs. Weasely as Harry yawned and stretched.

            "No thanks, I'm okay." said Harry, looking around the kitchen before looking back at Hermione.

            "Where are you staying?" asked Harry, wondering if there were room shortages since he had came.

            "I'm in Fred and Georges old room," she said, looking at the steps, "They have apartments now, so I can use their room, and since Percy.. moved… out.. you can use his."

            Harry nodded, remembering the feud between Percy and his parents.

            "Well, if you aren't sleepy then, do you want to.. study spells or something?" asked Hermione, at a loss of something to do since it had already started to rain outside again.          

            Harry smiled at her apparent awkwardness and nodded, moving up the steps to get a few books.

            After two or so hours of working on spells, and copying down a few to put in the DA notebook he had started, Harry and Hermione were laying in front of the fire while Ron and Ginny rode broomsticks in the temporary weather break, reading a new Quidditch book that Ron had given him as an early birthday present, when Hermione feel asleep, her head on his shoulder.

            Harry smiled at her and turned back to reading his book, not wishing to wake her, when Crookshanks bounded down that stairs and started to sniff around Hermione and himself.

            "Shoo!" he whispered, trying to scare the cat away before it woke Hermione, shaking his hands at him to no avail.

            Crookshanks crept up to Harry, sniffing at his fingers and rubbing up against them while Harry tried to bat the cat away, accidentally dropping the shoulder that Hermione had her head on lower, waking her up as she jerked her head back up before it hit the ground.

            "Hermione! I'm sorry.. I was trying not to wake you up, but Crookshanks.." Harry began, looking into her deep brown eyes, his face moving closer to hers.

            Before he knew what had happened, Harry had pressed his lips up against Hermione's in a kiss, his eyes shut, and lips slightly parted.

            Harry pulled away from Hermione awkwardly, looking down at the book, his cheeks turning red from what had just happened.

            He remembered his thoughts from earlier, in the car, and blushed deeper. Had he been wanting this to happen the whole time? Is that why he agreed to study rather than do something more exciting?

            After a few tense moments, Harry dared to look up into Hermione's surprised eyes, a blush creeping along her cheeks as he looked at her.

            "Er.. Hermione.. I'm.." Harry stammered, not really sure what to say.

            "It's.. that is.." Hermione began, becoming flustered at not being able to finish, or even start, a sentence.

            They looked at each other, trying to figure out what to say, when Ron and Ginny walked in, slightly damp from not making it all the way back before it started to rain again.

            "Hey mates!" Ron said cheerily, clearly oblivious to the tension in the room.

            "Hi.." they each managed to stammer out, casting weird glances at each other.

            Ginny, thankfully recognizing that something was up, told Ron that they better get cleaned up before their mum had their heads, and they went upstairs to change.

            As Ginny walked out of the living room into the kitchen, she shot Hermione a clear look: _"Tell me what=s going on later."_

            Left alone again, Harry turned to Hermione and mumbled something to her about changing before lunch, clumsily getting up and following the other two up the stairs, his neck glowing red from embarrassment.

            Hermione picked up Crookshanks and look at him, muttering about thick headed boys as she petted him on the head, retrieving Harry's Quidditch book from the floor before heading up the steps her-self.


	3. Aftershock

Harry Potter and the Guardian of Magic

---------------

This is purely fan-fiction, and I, in NO way, take credit for the character or places, except those that are my own, but I DO take credit for the ideas, because I've spent my personal time writing these and then typing these, so no flames or anything, or you won't get anymore (well..except for those people who want more, I'll type it for them, but the others can go and just drive off a steep cliff that have jagged rocks at the bottom!)

--------------------

This story takes place after Order of the Phoenix

-------------------

Chapter Three: Aftershock

-------------------------

            Harry slid into his room, still slightly out of breath due to his encounter with Hermione.

            What was he thinking? Was it his fault? It wasn't as if he had planned it or anything… it just happened..

            Harry sat down on his bed with a sigh, looking over at the side table for the first time since he had entered the room.

            There was a rather large letter with Mrs. Weasely's tiny handwriting saying that this was a small gift from them to him.

            Harry reached across the bed and grabbed the letter and opened it, his eyes tearing slightly at the picture he saw: A picture of the Weasely's, with the exception of Percy, and Ron, himself.. and Hermione.

            Harry's breath caught in his throat as he looked at her, smiling up at him, the picture-Hermione totally oblivious at what had happened downstairs just a few minutes ago..

            Harry set the picture carefully against the books on the table and lay down, trying to sort out his thoughts, but ending up falling asleep.

--------------

            He was in the Department of Mysteries again, standing in the middle of the circular room with the revolving doors, wondering where to go when a door to his right opened up and what looked like a great black dog slipped in.

            Sirius. That's the only person it could be. He had taken his dog form to sneak in. That had to be it.

            Harry ran towards the door, watching in horrification as the door started to swing shut.

            His hand plunged into his robe pocket, grabbing his phoenix-tail core wand and pulling it out, leveling it at the door, wondering which spell he could cast to stop it.

            Words of flame burned in his minds inner-eye as he opened his mouth and spoke them before they could disappear, "DURTENOTICS!"

            A streak of blue and crimson flame flew from the tip of his wand and slammed into the door, making it glow with a sickly yellow light before bursting apart.

            Harry ran blindly through the ashes, trying to catch Sirius before he got too far away.

            Harry opened his eyes just in time to see a large black statue looming above him before he crashed into it, his wand bouncing a few feet away.

            As quickly as he dared, Harry stood up, the blood rushing into his head as he grabbed his wand, noticing for the first time that the tip was lightly coated with soot.

            Shaking his head, Harry made his way around the statue, and looking around the room spotted another door that had just begun to swing close.

            Harry ran for it, knowing that he couldn't recall the words to the spell if he had to, reaching the door just before snapped closed and pushing it back open.

            This was the room. He could hear the fighting, see the misguided spells, hear the screams of the Death Eaters, and hear Sirius taunting voice.

            Harry rushed to the steps and look down, expecting to see Sirius emerging from behind the curtain with a smile, or at least see him fighting so that Harry might have a chance to save him, but no one was there.

            Harry descended the steps to the veil, his wand again level in front of him, words of fire beginning to burn in his minds eye again, although these were slightly hazed, as if he wasn't supposed to know the words..

            Harry's eyes snapped closed as he concentrated on the spell, his lips moving silently as he tried to find the correct inflection to cast it correctly.

            "COSSORA….w…ds.."

            He tried to no avail to cast the spell, feeling the anger well up inside of him at thought of being so close to seeing Sirius, but being denied it because of a stupid spell..

            Suddenly, he knew what it was, knew it like he had cast it thousands of times.

            "COSSORAWSELDO-!" As he began the last wand movement, he could feel the dream world sliding away, taking his hope from him..

            All he needed was to make the flick of his wrist and the last sound, but before he could a painful poke in the ribs fully awoke him.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

            With an unspoken curse Harry sat up in bed, grabbing his glasses from his bedside table, glaring around at Ron, who was standing anxiously beside his bed.

            "What? What is it? I was so close.." he yelled, whispering the last under his breath.

            "It's Hermione.. she's acting weird." Ron said, slightly taken back by his friend's outburst.

            Harry, now feeling sorry for striking out at Ron, tried to get his attention back on Hermione, "What's wrong with her?"

            "I got up to go to the bathroom, and when I got to the door, she burst out, crying and talking something about cats and dumb boys.. do you know what she meant?"

            Harry looked down at the ground sadly, extremely sorry about not talking to Hermione, "Erm..no mate, no idea.. I'll go and talk to her, though.."

            Before Ron could make a move to stop him, Harry hopped out of bed and was out the door, silently cursing himself at making Hermione cry.

            Harry lessened his pace as he neared the room where Hermione was staying, feeling very foolish indeed at not thinking of something to tell her before he rushed off.

            He came to a dead stop at the door, his knuckles inches from rapping on the old wood, his eyes fixed where hers would be when she opened it.

            He didn't know exactly why he was stopping, he was sure that all he had to do was explain, but that still didn't seem like it was enough.

            Slowly he lowered his hand to his side and turn away, sighing and shaking his head.

            Before he could two steps, he froze in terror as he heard the door behind him creak open, stiffening slightly and he turned to look, knowing she was looking at him.

            "Erm.. I just wanted to say.. that.." he shuffled his feet nervously at he looked at her, shutting his eyes tightly when she continued to stare at him.

            "Yes?" she asked, only a hint of anger seeping into her voice.

            "I just wanted to… say.. that I'm sorry for just walking out earlier.."  Harry cast another worried glance up at her, looking for a twinge of compassion.

            "I see…" she said, sighing slightly as she stepped out from the doorway to stand in front of him, "Look.. I know you feel weird about it, but so do I.. but it's late, so can we talk about this later?"

            Harry opened his mouth to reply but no sound came out, only an icy feeling in the pit of his stomach, reminding of how it felt when Mad-Eye had cast the Disillusionment Charm on him earlier this year.

            Finally he was able to mutter out a squeaky "Okay," before turning back towards his room and walking away, cringing when he heard her door shut with a rather soft, but peeved, sound.

            He threw himself back down onto the sheets, thankful that Ron had already gone back to his own room to sleep. With a final glance at the window, he put his face into his pillow and fell into a restless sleep.


	4. Shards of Glass

Harry Potter and the Guardian of Magic  
---------------  
  
This is purely fan-fiction, and I, in NO way, take credit for the character  
or places, except those that are my own, but I DO take credit for the ideas, because I've spent my personal time writing these and then typing these, so no flames or anything, or you won't get anymore (well..except for those people who want more, I'll type it for them, but the others can go  
and just drive off a steep cliff that have jagged rocks at the bottom!)  
--------------------  
  
This story takes place after Order of the Phoenix  
  
-------------------  
  
Chapter Four: Shards of Glass  
  
-------------------------  
  
The morning light broke through the window on the Weasely's home, vertical bars of light falling across Harry through the half-open blinds.  
  
Harry stirred, rubbing at his eyes as he searched for his glasses, feeling only slightly better rested than when he had the recurring dreams of Sirius.  
  
He could barely remember what he said to Hermione last night, besides the fact that he was sure he had made an entire fool of himself.  
  
Sighing, he sat up, scratching his head as he headed through the door to go downstairs to breakfast.  
  
He stopped short after finally taking the time to notice the house. It looked.. new. The walls were smooth and freshly painted, and the floors gleamed like never before, then it hit him. Fred and George! They must have been giving their family money. He didn't know why he didn't notice it earlier.  
  
Smiling, he descended the stairs two at a time, admiring the new feel of the house, noticing how everything seemed brighter and happier somehow.  
  
His stomach rumbled as he got the first whiffs of sizzling food coming from the kitchen, now just realizing how hungry he was.  
  
He rounded the corner, fully expecting to see Mrs. Weasely humming and she cooked the hot breakfast meal, and was stopped in his tracks when he saw Ginny.  
  
For a moment, Harry didn't know what to think. He didn't think Mrs. Weasely would want anyone else to cook, even her own daughter.  
Before Harry could think about it further, his stomach rumbled, quickly subduing any thought he had other than food.  
  
He left his place at the door and went into the kitchen, pulling out a chair to sit down in, "Good morning.. and.. why are you cooking for?"  
  
Without turning, Ginny began chattering away on how her Mother was out shopping and Dad had left for work, and no one else was up yet.  
  
Harry nodded numbly, not used to such a high pace of talking in the morning.  
  
After she died down, Harry got a chance to take in the gleaming kitchen before everyone else bustled in, each in a varying degree of awake and awareness.  
  
Ron sat down beside him, groggily looking around for something to drink while he mumbled to Harry, "'orning.."  
  
Suppressing a smile, Harry got up and set the table for breakfast, setting down the last plate when Ginny was finished cooking.  
  
Food was quickly distributed, and while everyone was hungry, they weren't going to eat until Hermione showed up, no matter how much Ron protested.  
  
After waiting a few more moments, Ginny elected Harry to go up and see what was taking Hermione so long, and under protest, he went.  
  
Trying to compose his thoughts as he made his way up the stairs, Harry didn't hear the footsteps heading towards him until they were right up on him, bringing him from his reverie with a start.  
  
"Ginny sent me to find you," he began, feeling awkward enough by the simple fact that she was looking at him.  
  
Hermione stopped him short by narrowing her eyes slightly, her voice taking on a timbre of injured dignity, "I just woke up a little late. I don't need you to come and get me to.." her voice drifted off as his eyes get wide with anger.  
  
"I didn't even want to come and get you! They told me to! It's not my fault!" Harry said, swinging his arms as to drive his point home, only succeeding in wrapping his knuckles off the wall.  
  
The tension that had been building broke as Hermione grinned slightly before laughing aloud at the pained look on Harry's face as he tried to ease the pain in his knuckles.  
  
"Harry.. about yesterday.. I'm sorry.. I shouldn't have acted like that.." Hermione managed to quell her laughter long enough to look into Harry's eyes.  
  
Harry shook his head slightly, still absentmindedly rubbing his battered knuckles, "No. It's my fault. I shouldn't have kissed you.. I just.. couldn't help it.." he smiled in spite of himself at the memory, a slight blush rising to his cheeks as he though about it.  
  
Before Harry could react, Hermione's lips were pressed against his, his mind racing about what to do next, besides the obvious choice of kissing her back.  
  
After a few moments Harry reacted, placing his arms around her lightly, and at that exact moment, Mrs. Weasely chose to come up the stairs, carrying a box wrapped in brown paper.  
  
With a shriek that stopped the two in their tracks, Mrs. Weasely let the box fall to the stairs, the object contained within shattering as it bounced down the steps, he hands placed against the side of her face.  
  
"Wh-wh-," was all she managed to stammer out, her eyes darting around, trying to look at anything but them, "Sorry about that.. I'll.. erm.. just go.."  
  
Mrs. Weasely turned and walked down the steps in slow, composed steps that suggested she might break into a run at any moment.  
  
She stopped when she reached the point where the box and finally stopped, the wrapping around it torn, revealing a delicately carved wooden box underneath.  
  
Turning around, she looked at it, then to Harry who was still holding Hermione close, looking decidedly ill at the moment.  
  
"Harry dear.. this came for you in the post.." she looked uncertainly at the box again as a small shatter could be heard, making her wince visibly as it seemed to hang in the air.  
  
Harry walked down the steps, Hermione following close behind, and stopped before Mrs. Weasely and took the box from her.  
  
Harry gently peeled away the remainder of the wrapping, cringing as he took in the scratches to the polished cedar box.  
  
On the top of the box was a small depression, clearly intended to be there. He slipped his fingers around it and heard the box click, and watched in wonder as the top detached itself from the main portion of the box.  
  
Harry gently set the top aside and sat down on the stairs, looking at the contents of the box.  
Inside, there were thousands of pieces of glass, some pieces large enough to see the detail embossed on it. And there, in the middle, lay a small folded note, sealed with a simple black seal with no markings.  
  
Reaching down, Harry gently moved aside the pieces, pulling out the parchment and shaking the last bit of glass off of it.  
  
He broke the seal and slowly unfolded it, swallowing hard as he realized the handwriting on the note:  
  
Harry,  
Inside this box, there is a power object of magic, passed down from generation to generation in the Black family. If you are able to unravel the mystery surrounding it, as none in our Family has, things you have long been wondering will be explained;.  
  
Do not worry about me, because I am fine. I fear for your safety now that I'm not there to watch over you, at least not in the bodily sense. I will help you if I can, and be sure that I am never far off.  
  
Sirius  
  
The note slipped from numb fingers as Harry stared dumb-founded into the box, watching as the small but powerful letter slid down to rest on top of the largest piece of glass left.  
  
Without saying a word, Harry picked up the box and shut the lid back on it, picking it up and going to his room, shutting the door softly behind him so that none may hear him weep. 


	5. Pieces of the Broken Puzzle

Harry Potter and the Guardian of Magic

---------------

This is purely fan-fiction, and I, in NO way, take credit for the character or places, except those that are my own, but I DO take credit for the ideas, because I've spent my personal time writing these and then typing these, so no flames or anything, or you won't get anymore (well..except for those people who want more, I'll type it for them, but the others can go and just drive off a steep cliff that have jagged rocks at the bottom!)

--------------------

This story takes place after Order of the Phoenix

-------------------

Chapter Five: Pieces of the Broken Puzzle

-------------------------

It had been two days since Harry had gotten the box, and he was still no closer to figuring out what it was, or what it was supposed to do.

He had recovered somewhat from the shock of the note from Sirius. He still couldn't figure out how Sirius had managed to send the note to him after his death, unless it was something he had put away until demise, then it was to be sent to Harry.

"Yes.. that could be it.." Harry mused silently to himself, "..but, somehow, I don't think it is."

Harry reclined back in his chair, his hands behind his head as he removed his eyes from the box again, sighing.

As soon as he recovered from the initial shock, he had immediately tried several spells to repair it, but all his magic seemed to fizzle out before it could get near them shards.

That was a mystery in itself. According to Hermione, there were very few objects that totally negated magic, and even those should cease to work if they were broken.

Shaking his head, as if clearing it of some bothersome pest, Harry stood up and left the room, descending the stairs slowly towards the kitchen, and lunch, still thinking of the broken orb in spite of him-self.

Reaching the first floor, Harry glanced around, more out curiosity than anything, but stopped dead when he saw a figure by the window.

Though his face couldn't be seen, Harry was fairly certain the man saw him looking at him, this thought quickly becoming true when the man jumped up and ran.

Running to the door, wand in hand, Harry began to recall a few spells that he could use to disable the man, selecting a simple binding curse as he threw the door open.

Fully expecting to see the stranger only a few steps away, Harry was taken by surprise when there was no one to be seen.

Harry turned, sliding his wand back into his pocket as he began to shut the door, stopping when he saw the face from the window hovering inches away from him.

He was less startled by the fact that he hadn't heard the man sneak in as by the fact that he had no body.

As his wand was leveling off at the face, Harry was knocked to his feet by an unseen force, the same force that was now trying to rip his wand from his hand.

His sense of self-preservation kicked in as he began to shout for help, still struggling with the force that was tugging at his wand.

A few seconds later, Mrs. Weasely came through the door to the kitchen, her face annoyed at the yelling, but quickly turning to surprise then anger as her wand flew from her apron to her hand.

With a flick of her wrist and a few mutter words, the force attacking Harry dissipating enough for him to gain full control of his wand and magic to blast a stunning spell at the face.

The fiery jet of light shot through the center of the face, seeming to have no apparent effect, until a moment later when it imploded on itself with a small pop.

Mrs. Weasely hurried over to Harry, stowing her wand back into her apron as she grabbed his arm and helped pull him to his feet.

"Harry, dear, are you okay?" she asked, brushing absentmindedly at the unperceivable dust at his back.

Harry nodded, his mind already working on figuring out who, and what, that thing was.

Mumbling that he we fine to Mrs. Weasely, he started back up the steps, all thoughts of lunch forgotten.

After searching through various magic books that the Weasely's had throughout the house, Harry had found only one reference to the floating face, and that had been very vague.

Enigmatic Enigmas and Rare Beasts by Frederick Fernandez VI

Name: Masquerade

Classification: Ghoul; also, loosely classified as Spirit.

Origin: Unknown

Summon by: Incantation and Sacrifice

Magic Classification: Dark

Sightings: Two

Summoning: This information is restricted.

Information: Very little information is known due to the fact that only two people have survived an attack by it, and they disappeared shortly after.

All of the victims were in possession of a strong magical artifact, most notably ones that specialized in negating magic. All of the artifacts were stolen prior to, or at the moment of, the murder.

So far, there have been five deaths, excluding the two who managed to survive the attack.

Little is known on how to defeat them, and they are to be considered very dangerous.

Harry had re-read this passage a thousand times, hoping to find something hidden between the lines, but to no avail.

He assumed that it was after the shattered orb that he possessed, which for some reason still maintained its magic field.

Going again down the steps, now unconsciously on watch for any more threats, he entered the kitchen for dinner, nodding as everyone stared at him as he entered.

Although he had been caught up in his study, he couldn't help but overhear the supposedly quiet conversation between the various residences of the house.

He sat down quietly beside Hermione, unconsciously scooting closer to her while everyone continued their scrutiny, his hand lacing together with hers under the table.

"Erm.. well.. how about we eat?" He said, looking down at the table, his hand nervously squeezing Hermione's, who was thankfully returning the favor.

After a few more moments of staring, Mrs. Weasely politely coughed and everyone quietly started dinner, a weird sensation hanging in the air in place of the usual dinner chatter.


	6. As Lovers Go

Harry Potter and the Guardian of Magic

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This is purely fan-fiction, and I, in NO way, take credit for the character or places, except those that are my own, but I DO take credit for the ideas, because I've spent my personal time writing these and then typing these, so no flames or anything, or you won't get anymore (well..except for those people who want more, I'll type it for them, but the others can go and just drive off a steep cliff that have jagged rocks at the bottom!)

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This story takes place after Order of the Phoenix

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Chapter Six: As Lovers Go

You'll notice throughout this part of the story that I've italicized certain phrases, and that's because they're lyrics from a song by Dashboard Confessional called "As Lovers Go", and it's what I was feeling when I wrote this, as well as what Harry's thinking. Dashboard Confessional gets the credits for this great song, as well as all their others. If you go to their site, you can download some of the songs! Check it out!

I don't know if the italics will show up or not on FFNET, it didn't when I looked at it, but I've tried everything, and it just takes away the asterisks and everything else, so &)( them. I'm sure you're smart enough to figure it out yourself. If you really want to know, e-mail me and I'll send you the original copy.

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After the somewhat awkward dinner, Harry and Hermione proceeded upstairs to get away from the constant gaze of the Weasely family, as well as to talk about what happened.

Harry pushed open the door to his room, unconsciously hurrying and ducking inside, afraid that someone would see him.

He sat down on the edge of his bed and put his face into his hands as Hermione sat beside him with an arm draped around his shoulders, "You know, it's not that bad."

Harry sighed and nodded a little, running his fingers back through his hair before laying backing on the bed, "It's just.. weird. They've known us for what seems like forever, and then Mrs. Weasely caught us kissing on the stairs. It's just.. like I said, weird."

Hermione nodded, not sure what to say to or do to comfort him besides sitting with him and letting him talk. Harry sat back up and rubbed his temples slowly, his eyes closed as if he were searching for something.

"It's as if there's something on the tip of my tongue, something that could make this all seem better, but I don't know what it is." Harry sighed dejectedly and laid back onto the bed again, letting thoughts drift through his mind.

_I've gotta be honest, I've been waiting for you all my life. For so long I thought I wasn't gonna settle down, but just seeing you makes me think twice.._

Harry looked at Hermione's back, her head hanging slightly, surprising himself as the words to that song played in his mind, flowing with memories of her and the time they'd spent together.

_The feel of you here makes me sane, I fear I'll go crazy if you leave my side. You've got wits, you've got looks, you've got passion, but are you brave enough to leave with me tonight.._

Harry's hand slowly crept its way into Hermione's, squeezing it tightly before relaxing into her grip. After a moment, she lay back onto the bed and turned her face to look at him, her eyes gazing into his, not saying anything.

_I'll be true, I'll be useful, I'll be cavalier, I'll be yours, my dear.. and I'll belong to you, if you just let me through.._

Harry opened his mouth to speak, then shut it, but as he did, another verse of the song slipped into his mind, "_This is as easy as lovers go, so don't complicate it by hesitating.._"

His spirit seemed to float out of his body as he spoke to her. He saw his lips moving, but couldn't believe what he was saying. This could mess everything up: their friendship, everything that they had, it could be messed up by those three simple words, and yet he knew, if he didn't say it, it would damage what they had right now.

"Hermione.. I.. I love you."

Her hand didn't unclasp from his like he expected, but rather the hold grew tighter, and she softly spoke the words he had been waiting to hear, "I love you too, Harry.."

Harry's hovering spirit seemed to slam back into his body as she finished speaking, the words she spoke echoing through his mind, the world slowly coming to a stop.

Everything fell silent between them for a long second, then they both slowly moved towards each other, Harry's hand sliding from Hermione's to cup her cheek softly while he kissed her.

This time, no one interrupted them; no Mrs. Weasely, not breaking packages, no embarrassment, just them. Slowly, they drew apart, and their world began to move again, time began to trickle by, and they began to breathe. It was their one moment in heaven.

_You've got me._

((- I fixed a few grammatical errors that I saw after I posted the last one. -))


	7. Of Secrets and Truths

Harry Potter and the Guardian of Magic

---------------

This is purely fan-fiction, and I, in NO way, take credit for the character or places, except those that are my own, but I DO take credit for the ideas, because I've spent my personal time writing these and then typing these, so no flames or anything, or you won't get anymore (well..except for those people who want more, I'll type it for them, but the others can go and just drive off a steep cliff that have jagged rocks at the bottom!)

--------------------

This story takes place after Order of the Phoenix

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Chapter Seven: Of Secrets and Truths

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Hermione had left a while ago to do something with Ginny, and since she'd be gone, Harry began to dwell on the broken artifact. He had searched through a few of the books Mrs. Weasely had brought him, but he could find nothing that could help him.

After looking through another book, Magical Artifacts and Their Uses, Harry tossed it disgustedly into the corner, sighing and rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"I'm never going to figure out what this thing is for!" he shouted to no one in particular as he pushed the box away, the glass pieces inside clinking together.

Tiredly, Harry picked up another book and was thumbing through the table of contents as someone knocked on his door, giving him the excuse to stop searching and talk to someone, "Come in!"

Ron poked his head, then looked around like he was searching for something, before stepping in and shutting the door behind him, "Any luck yet?"

Harry sighed and shook his head, gesturing to the piles of books scattered across the room, "You would think that from all of these books, there'd be one, just one, reference to that thing."

Ron looked nervously around before speaking, "You know.. it could be in there and you're just not seeing it. I mean, think about it. You didn't get to see it before it was broke, so you don't know what shape it was, and you don't know if there was anything else on it. You could be overlooking it.."

Harry's anger started to rise, and then it occurred to him that Ron was right. He didn't know what it looked like before it was shattered, and he didn't know what it was, or what it did, so how did he expect to find it in a book? Sure, there weren't many items that negated magic, but that didn't matter. If he only had 10 to pick from, he still wouldn't know which it would be.

Seeing Harry's crestfallen look, Ron jumped in to try and cheer him up, "Mum said we're going out tomorrow, but she won't tell us where. It'll help take your mind off that," he pointed to the box at the foot of Harry's bed, "and besides, you'll get to be with Hermione!"

Harry couldn't help but grin at his friends jest, and nodded and said that he'd go. Ron smirked and laughed, then left to go tell his Mum the good news.

As soon as the door closed, Harry's humor started to evaporate as he mulled over what Ron said. He was right, of course, but there had to be some way to figure out what the thing looked like before it was broken.

Magic fizzled out around it, and even though it was broken, it still retained its powers. They should've lost their power when it was shattered. It should have, but it didn't. That's what didn't make sense. There was nothing in the book about things retaining their power after they were broke. Unless.. unless..

Harry swept everything off the bed except the box, then tipped it on it's side and slowly spread the glass around so he could see it all.

He picked up one piece and looked at it, twirling it around, looking at the corners before searching among the ones on the bed that might fit with the corner of the piece in his hand.

After searching for almost an hour, he found a piece that would match the one in his hand. He picked it up and placed the two halves together, holding his breath as he pressed them into each other.

For a long moment, nothing happened, then a green glow flashed where the two pieces met, and when the light died down, it was a whole piece.

"I knew it! I knew it!" he whispered excitedly, examining the edges of the glass before looking among the rest to find the one that went with it.

It took him several hours, and when he finally came down to the last couple of pieces, he couldn't find them.

He searched all around on the floor, then combed the entire room over, looking for them, but they were nowhere to be found.

Harry sat down on the edge of the bed, examining the object in his hands. He knew what it looked like now, and he knew that he saw a picture like it somewhere in one of the books. If he couldn't finish it, at least he could know what it was for.

He sat it back down on the bed to examine it. It was a circle, with an inscription on it, but it didn't look like it was finished. There was a some kind of bird in the middle of it, but from the angle it was facing, you couldn't really tell what kind, although it resembled a phoenix.

Harry sighed and rubbed his eyes once again before getting up to thumb through the last few books he'd read, because he knew it was somewhere in there.

He picked up "Magical Items and Objects" and began to flip through it, then stopped as it saw the picture of it. There it was. Exactly the same thing as he put together, missing pieces and all.

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The Crystal of Black

A magical artifact of ancient times, it's true use and origin lost in the sands of time. It has been passed along to various hands through its existence, and the last recorded holder of it was the Black family, and it is still assumed it resides with them.

They're six pieces missing from this artifact, and the location of their existence have been lost in time. The creator of the crystal, Darke Nimbleweed, removed the six pieces and gave them to each of his students, so that when the time came, they could finish his creation and unleash its power.

What the Crystal of Black is supposed to be for is unknown, because Nimbleweed took its secrets to the grave with him, and his unknown students never told of its use, if they even know.

-------

Harry shut the book and sighed. That was it then. The six remaining pieces were lost to time, and without, he couldn't figure out what the crystal was used for. Sirius had said that if he could figure it out, all his questions would be answered. This crystal had done nothing but raise more questions for him.

Sighing one more time, Harry slammed the book shut and stormed out of the room, turning off the lights as he went to dinner.

In the darkness, a soft glow emanated from the crystal, and the bird let out a quiet, fearful cry. The time would soon come when it would be needed.


End file.
